Fluidtight coupung



y 1938. H. TAILLEFERRE V Re. 20,810

FLUIDTIGHT COUPLING- Original Filed Nov. 22, 1934 HENRI TAILLEFEIRRBINVENTOR ,mi'iiw ATTORNEYS mama July 26, i938 UNITED STATE p 20,810num'rienr COUPLING Henri Tailleierre, Paris, France Original No.2,043,562,

dated June 9, 1936, Serial No. 154,252, November 22, 1934. Applicationfor reissueSeptember 9, 1937, Serial No. 163,061

two respective parts of the joint, the spaces between the successivecup-shaped .elements having variable volumes, in such manner that the rspace under this pressure of the fluid acting on the first of thesecup-shaped elements is partly transmitted to the element, and so on fromeach cup-shaped element to the next one, whereby the pressure on theinner face of the last element of the series is but very little higherthan the pressure on the outer face of said element.

These cup-shaped elements consist of rings of a suitable metal the edgesof which are so devised that, under the action of the pressure acting onthe first of these elements, said edges are curved so as to have, at

ensure fluidtightness, a radius of curvature substantially equal to thatof the surfaces against which they are applied.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fiuidtight balland socket joint includes an outer element made of two parts connectedtogether by means of bolts, and an inner element adapted to engage insaid outer element. Fuidtightness between these two elements of thejoint is ensured by the cup-shaped rings above mentioned, which arepiled upon one another, leaving between them intervals of very smallvolumes, decreasing from the first to the last. Fiuidtightness betweenthe external and the internal elements of the joint and the respectiveparts to be connected together through said joint is obtained in anysuitable manner.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be hereinafterdescribed, with reference to the accompanying drawing, givenmerely byway of example, andin which:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of anembodiment of the ball and socket joint according to the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatical view showing the cup-shaped rings that formfluidtight packings between the elements of the joint, in the positionthey occupy when no pressure is acting thereon; Fig. 3 is a view similarto Fig. 2 showing the rings in the position they occupy when they aresubjected to the action of a pressure.

The outer body is made of two parts i and- 2, connected together bymeans of nuts 3 applied against parts 4. The inner body ll fits in saidouter body. The outer element l is prolonged their points of contact Iwith the parts of the joint with which they must by a threaded part 5 6to be connected with tube 3'. Said tube 6 is mounted in asimilar mannerin the inner element ll. Tube 6 is fixed in position by means of a nut 8which is screwed on part 5 and cooperates with a collar 1 provided onsaid tube 6 so as to apply it against the outer element i, 2 of thejoint.

The inner element ii is provided with a prolonged part II which fitsinside the outer element l2. The inner element ii is provided with athreaded prolonged part I! adapted to cooperate with a nut 8' so as tofix tube 6' on the inner element of the joint in the same manner as thatprovided for the fixation of tube. 6 in part 5 of the outer element l-2.

Fluidtightness of the joint is obtained by means of a plurality ofcup-shaped rings a, a, a" mounted in a cup l6 and held by means of a nutll screwed on the top of inner element II. This nut II' is provided withnotches i5 which permit to adjust it.

As shown byFigs. 2 and 3, the cup-shaped rings a a, a are superposed butwith very small intervals left between one another owing to theinterposition of intermediate pieces as shown. The volumes oftheseintervals increase from the top to the bottom in accordance with adetermined, law, which depends upon the pressures to which they aresubjected and the nature of the fluid.

If it is supposed that the pressure acting on cup-shaped ring a is P,the fluid in the joint will leak past the edge of said ring between thewall of the external element I, 2 and said ring, atthe point where thelatter is tangent to said wall. Consequently, the pressure in'the spacebetween a. and a will be P-p because of the partial expansion of thefluid in the annular space between 0. and a Under ring a'-, the pressurewill be P-'-p --p in view of the small amount of fluid that leaks pastsaid ring a, and so on. If a suflicient number of rings is provided andthe volumes of the spaces between the successive rings are suitablychosen, the pressure under ring a will have a value P-p -p=- p, verylittle different from the pressure under the last cup-shaped ring.

It is thus iiuidtightness, since leakage is reduced to the amount offluid that will leak past the last cupshaped ring.

As shown by Fig. 3, the rings, under the action of the various pressuresacting thereon, have their edges curved in such manner as to be appliedpractically tangentially on the inner wall of the outer element i-2.

While I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be apractical and efiicient within which is fixed tube possible to ensure avery satisfactory embodiment of the present invention, it should be wellunderstood that I do not wish to be li'mited thereto as there might bechanges made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the partswithout departing from'the principle of thepresent invention ascomprehended within the scope of the appended claims. a

What I claim is:

1. A ball and socket joint for connecting together two tubular membersintended to contain a fluid under a high pressure, which comprises, incombination, an outer joint element, an inner joint element adapted tofit in said outer joint element, a plurality of annular cup-shapedmembers disposed inside said outer element between it and the innerelement, said annular members bearing tangentially without interruptionalong their whole periphery on the inner wall of at least one of saidelements, means for axially spacing said annular members at givenintervals from one another, so that the respective pressures in thesuccessive intervals, from the inside toward the outside have valuesdecreasing from the pressure inside said Joint down to a pressure butvery little higher than the pressure of the medium surrounding saidjoint.

2. A ball and socket joint for connecting together two tubular membersintended to contain a fluid under a high pressure, which comprises, incombination, an outer element, means for rigidly fixing in a fluidtightmanner said element to one of said tubular members, an inner elementadapted to' fit in the outer element, means for rigidly fixing in afiuidtight manner said inner element to the other tubular member, aplurality of metallic cup-shaped rings deformable under the effect ofthe pressure in the joint disposed in superposed relation to one anotherinside said outer element between it and the inner element so as to beapplied tangentially without interruption along their whole peripheryagainst the inner vwall of said outer element by the pressure inside thejoint, intermediate members between said rings for spacing them apart soas to leave given intervals between them respectively, whereby therespective pressures in the successive intervals from the inside towardthe outside have values decreasing from the,

pressure inside said joint down to a pressure but very little higherthan the pressure of the medium surrounding said joint.

3. A ball and socket joint according to claim 1 in which said means foraxially spacing apart said annular members are so arranged that therespective volumes of the successive intervals between said annularmembers increase from the inside toward the outside of the joint.

4. A ball and socket joint according to claim 2 in which saidintermediate members are so dimensioned that the respective volumes ofthe successive intervals between said annular members increase fromtheinside toward the outside of the joint.

5.'Means for substantially sealing a member for confining a fluid underpresure, in.res'pect to another member extending therein and movable inrespect thereto, comprising a plurality of generally conical packingelements of sheet material deformable under said pressure, said membersbeing formed with an annular space therebetween for' receiving saidelements in nested spaced-apart relationship, said elements eachextending across said space without interruption, from the surface ofsaid second named member to the opposed inner surface of said firstnamed member, said elements being all fixed and sealed in respect to oneof said surfaces and having 'movable contact with the other of saidsurfaces, such contact for each of said elements extending annularlycontinuously without interruption, said elements being so spaced as toform a series of cavities therebetween, with the respective volumes ofsaid cavities increasing from the confined fluid toward the exterior ofthe series, and with slight leakage at the areas of said contact causingsubstantially predetermined stepby-step pressure drops betweensucceeding cavities.

6. Means for substantially sealing a member for confining a fluid underpressure, in respect to another member extending therein and movable inrespect thereto, comprising a plurality of. generally conical packingelements of sheet material deformable under said pressure, said membersbeing formed with an annular space therebetween for receiving saidelements in nested spaced-apart relationship, said elements eachextending across said space without interruption, from the surface ofsaid second named member to the opposed inner surface of said firstnamed member, said elements being all fixed and sealed in respect to oneof said surfaces and having movable contact with the other of saidsurfaces, such contact for each of said elements extending annularlycontinuously without interruption and as a line contact with the edge ofeach element when said pressure is not applied, but the contactingportions on each element being deflected inwardly of said fluid underthe influence of said pressure on-said elements, thereby forming annularcontacting areas bearing substantially tangentially against the surfacecontacting therewith, said elements being so spaced as to form aplurality of cavities therebetween, with the respective volumes of saidcavities increasing from the confined fluid toward the exterior of theplurality of elements, and with slight leakage at the areas of saidconta'ct causing step-by-step pressure drops in the fluid as it leakspast each element.

7. Means for substantially sealing a member for confining a fluid underpressure, in respect to another member extending therein and movacrosssaid space from the surface of. said second named member to the opposedinner surface of said first named member, said elements being all fixedand sealed to one of said surfaces and' having movable contact with theother of said surfaces, such contact for each of said elements extendingannularly continuously without interruption, and as a line contact withthe edge of each element when said pressure is not applied, but thecontacting portions on each element being deflected inwardly of saidfluid under the influence of said pressure on said elements there byforming annular contacting areas bearing substantially tangentiallyagainst the surface contacting therewith, said elements forming a.plurality of annular cavities with slight leakage at said areas ofcontact, causing step-by-step pressure drops in the fiuld as it leakspast each element.

HENRI TAJLLEFERRE.

